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October in a Glass: Pumpkin Beers

I’ve decided that the greatest part of beer is that you can tailor your flavor. If it’s spring, throw some lavender up in there. If it’s winter, hell- melt some snow and some essence of knit sweater and put it in a bottle. This is why pumpkin flavored beer is acceptable, duh.

And the most ridiculous part about this whole pumpkin thing is that nothing actually tastes like pumpkin. Do you really think a PSL* tastes like the squash sitting your front porch? No. A lot of people slap some cinnamon and vague nutmeg flavor on food and call it ‘pumpkin’. This is a big, fat, Starbucks lie. Pumpkin tastes nothing like that and I hate whenever I see ‘white chocolate pumpkin’ or some complete nonsense… Anyway. Beer.

I tried five pumpkin ales last week and I’ve got to tell you, it wasn’t the worst project I’ve given myself. My favorite had to have been the Shipyard Pumpkinhead- spicy, nutmeg-y and not too dark. I love Shipyard’s Applehead but, man, Pumpkinhead is it. It’s the perfect fall beer and I’m only sad I cannot find it on draught. My least favorite had to be the Wolaver’s Pumpkin Ale. Yeah blah organic whatever but it was the least spiced out of all of them and was a little too dark for me. Blue Point’s Pumpkin Ale came in at second, Shocktop Pumpkin Wheat at third and Uinta’s Punk’n (although the label was so great) at fourth.

What do you think? What are your favorite seasonal beers? Find a joint that will let you switch up a six pack, grab a friend or two and have your own tasting and tell me I’m full of crap. Cheers to 70° weather and to more pumpkin alcohol!